Shaped by the rhythm of sound and silence, the Quad Pavilion redefines the campus lawn as a place of refuge and connection. Positioned within a natural indentation to soften surrounding noise, the design creates a spatial buffer from the surrounding activity while enhancing comfort and usability. Curved arches echo the architectural language of campus, forming a fluid environment where students can gather, reflect, and move freely. Rooted in the idea of confluence, the pavilion becomes a point of intersection—where movement, community, and personal growth seamlessly converge.
PROJECT
LOCATION
YEAR
Quad Pavillion
Greensboro, North Carolina
2025
Drawing from the hermit crab, the pavilion embodies the balance between protection and openness. Like the crab’s shell, it offers a sense of shelter and retreat, while its extending forms suggest movement beyond comfort zones. This duality reflects the student experience grounded yet exploratory, secure yet evolving. The structure becomes a “social shell,” adapting to its environment and those who inhabit it, creating a space that feels both protective and inviting.
The design process evolved through a series of explorations. In early iterations, I focused on directly translating the hermit crab’s shell, body, and claws into architectural form. While visually compelling, these initial models lacked strong spatial direction and defined views. Moving forward, I experimented with layering and repetition, pushing the forms to create more depth, though the structure began to feel overly exposed. In the final phase, I shifted away from literal representation, instead using overlapping forms and variations in elevation guided by the site’s natural indentation to create a more dynamic, grounded, and spatially engaging design.
